Author Archives: Maria Williams

Creekmouth’s landscape has, for centuries, been marshland interspersed with streams and bogs. Changes began at Creekmouth in the mid 19th century when factories started springing up along the shoreline. Factories and the Northern and Southern Outfalls polluted the river to the extent it was classed as biologically dead. Improvement in the quality of the water

The first gunpowder magazine at Creeksmouth was commissioned, and owned, by a Mr John Ivedales. It was referred to as a stone built magazine but they were usually built in brick and then clad in stone. They were, at this time, guarded by soldiers. Creeksmouth was an ideal spot for a gunpowder magazine as it

Don Lane lived with his family at No.14 Creekmouth Cottages I was very young when I was born Seven years before the world apart, was torn. In No.14 at the “Creek” I opened my eyes and took my first peek. A “skinned rabbit” I was called by Dad’s mate When I worked with him later,

In the beginning The Langford family are, without doubt, the longest serving family in the village, living at No.28 Creekmouth Cottages. Jesse and Elizabeth Langford are mentioned in the 1871 census, together with their children Ellen, Joseph, Sarah, Ann and Richard. Just a few years later Jesse Jnr and Elizabeth had joined the family group.

‘Miss Downs was my teacher. I remember Miss Kirkwood was also there. I don’t think there were more than four classrooms – (author’s note – there were two). – My older brother and my two sisters also went to Creekmouth School.’ – WINNE MACHELL

“I was born in 1926 and lived in Westminster Gardens. Creekmouth was like Southend to us; a nice place for a day out! Mum used to make rock cakes for us to take and we would have big bottles of lemonade powder, with stoppers in. I don’t remember ever seeing any men at Creekmouth, just

“When I was a child in the 1950s we lived in Westminster Gardens and my dad worked at Pinn & Wheeler at Creekmouth. I used to go with my sister and friends to play on the Creekmouth beach, known locally as, Sandy Beach. We used to skim stones across the water and sit and watch

Gwen Soper (b.1919) remembers an illness striking Creekmouth School ‘I went to Creeksmouth School when I was 4. The teachers I remember were: Mr Matthews, Miss Downs and Miss Debenham. During an epidemic of Scarlet Fever the school was taken over as a hospital because so many people in the village had it. My mum

Jesse Sleight (b.1922) remembers going to Creekmouth School. ‘As far as I can remember I went to school when I was aged 3 and a half. Mum used to come over at lunchtime and bring me a biscuit and a cup of cocoa. We had a teacher named Miss Adams. She was a tall, blonde

My children and grandchildren would love the life then. Lots of fields to play in, jumping ditches to see who could jump the farthest. We were lucky: Fields, trees to climb, no traffic. We were always outside. Other than Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria we never ailed for anything. We used to build tents out of